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Updated: Jun 5, 2025
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques
Published on: June 11, 2019
[Large intracardiac mass revealed by cerebrovascular accident: a case report]
Amngar Bekoutou1,2, Astrid Monfort1, Elysé Kisioko3
1Service de Cardiologie Hémodynamique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Martinique, Fort de France, Martinique.
Insights
Intracardiac masses, like left atrial myxoma, can cause stroke. Echocardiography aids diagnosis, but surgery and histology confirm the mass, crucial for patient management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neurology
- Pathology
Background:
- Intracardiac masses can present as ischemic cerebrovascular accidents (strokes).
- Differentiating these masses via echocardiography can be challenging.
- Accurate diagnosis is vital for effective patient management.
Abstract:
Intracardiac masses may be revealed by an ischemic cerebrovascular accident (stroke). They are sometimes difficult to differentiate by echocardiography. Determining their nature is a crucial aspect of patient management. We here report the case of a 58-year-old man with untreated hypertension, active smoking, a history of psoriasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a nodule in the left upper lobe suspected to be lung cancer. He was hospitalized for an ischemic stroke which was treated with thrombolysis, resulting in hemorrhagic transformation. Routine echocardiography revealed a large mass in the left atrium suggestive of intra-atrial myxoma. Histological examination of the surgical specimen confirmed the diagnosis. Left atrial myxomas can remain asymptomatic for a long time and may be revealed by systemic embolic complications. Echocardiography guides the diagnosis and anatomopathological examination confirms it. Management should be multidisciplinary.
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An X-ray, or radiograph, is a non-invasive method that uses ionizing radiation to take images of internal structures. It is mainly used in cardiac imaging to examine the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels, aiming to identify abnormalities in the heart's size, shape, and position, such as heart failure, congenital defects, and vascular...